The present invention generally relates to a superconducting magnet apparatus. More particularly, the invention is concerned with a superconducting magnet apparatus in which a superconducting multilayer composite member is made use of as a static magnetic field generating source, a method of magnetizing the superconducting magnet apparatus and a magnetic resonance imaging system in which the superconducting magnet apparatus is employed.
As is well known, the superconducting magnet apparatus finds applications in numerous and various technical or industrial fields. In the conventional superconducting magnet apparatus known heretofore, a superconducting conductor is wound in a coil-like configuration and immersed within liquid helium contained in a cryostat vessel and serving as a coolant for realizing superconductivity, for thereby generating a magnetic field within a predetermined space, as is disclosed in JP-A-4-49948.
However, the conventional superconducting magnet apparatus suffers from a problem that decreasing of the magnetic flux can not be evaded because of connection or contact resistance making appearance in connecting portions of the superconducting conductors forming the coil. Besides, the connection resistance and mechanical deformation of the superconducting coil provide causes for quench. Additionally, since many processes involved in winding the superconducting coil as well as interconnection of the superconducting conductors have to be resorted to human labor, difficulty is often encountered in realizing uniformity in respect to the manufacturing precision. Of course, high precision itself can not easily be achieved. Moreover, the superconducting magnet apparatus as a whole is of a large size and heavy, giving rise to another problem.